Safety lines come first
Electrical night calls can be dangerous. The caller needs clear instructions before anyone takes an address: leave and call 911 if there is smoke or fire; switch off the circuit or main breaker if it is safe to reach; stay away from water near outlets.
Hazard or next day
| Call | Decision |
|---|---|
| Burning smell or smoke from an outlet or panel | Emergency (911 first if fire) |
| Sparking outlet or panel | Emergency |
| Total power loss, neighbours have power | Emergency |
| Total power loss, street is dark | Utility outage: give the utility's number |
| Water near electrical | Emergency |
| One outlet or circuit out | Next day |
| Install quotes (EV charger, panel upgrade) | Next day |
Example call
There's a burning smell coming from a bedroom outlet.
If you see smoke or flames, leave and call 911. If not, switch that circuit off at the breaker if it's safe. Is there any smoke?
No smoke. Breaker's off.
Good. Our after-hours call-out is $175. Shall I have the on-call electrician come out tonight?
Fee agreed · paging on-call electrician… accepted
What Josie does
- 24/7 Emergency Line: Answers every after-hours call and sorts real emergencies from routine jobs with your rules.
- On-Call Paging + Schedules: Calls your on-call tech with the details. Press 1 to accept. No answer? Next person, then you.
- Emergency Fee Consent + Payment Link: States your after-hours fee and gets a clear yes before anyone is woken. Can text a payment link.
- For your trade: After-Hours Answering Service for Electricians
Common questions
Can an answering service give electrical safety advice?
It should give your safety lines: call 911 for smoke or fire, switch off the breaker if it is safe, stay away from water near outlets. It should not diagnose.
How do I avoid being called out for utility outages?
Josie asks whether neighbours and street lights are out too. If they are, she gives the caller the utility's outage number instead of paging you.
What does HireJosie cost?
HireJosie is $29/month for 200 AI minutes, starting with a 7-day free trial — cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. Pro is $79/month for 500 minutes, with $0.25/minute overage after that. Every feature is on every plan, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.